Hearts at War

I knew I shouldn’t have come to the party. Everything about it felt wrong, the pulsing music, the crowd of strangers, the scent of cheap alcohol and too much cologne, but I came anyway. Because Briar Maddox had asked me to. And when he asked, I always said yes. But none of that mattered the moment I saw her. She was leaning against the wall like she owned the night. Black jeans, combat boots, and a half-smirk that curled her lips like she knew something the rest of us didn’t. Her eyes found mine like a heat-seeking missile. And held. I froze. My heart wasn’t supposed to stutter like that. Not for a stranger. Not for a girl. But she looked at me like I was a secret she’d already unwrapped. I turned away too quickly, the paper cup in my hand nearly slipping from my fingers. My breathing had gone shallow, like I’d been running. Which I hadn’t. Yet somehow, I felt out of breath. “Solene!” Briar’s voice pulled me back. I spotted him across the room, standing by the window, calm and collected. Always calm. Always safe. The boy who’d carried my backpack when it rained, who’d waited outside my dorm when I was sick, who made me feel like maybe love didn’t have to hurt. I smiled weakly and raised my hand. I should go to him. He was the reason I was here. But I couldn’t move. Because she was walking toward me. No smile. No apology. Just pure, deliberate confidence in every step. And when she stopped in front of me, the air around us changed. “You look lost,” she said. I blinked. “I’m not.” “You sure? Because you’ve been staring at me like I’m a fire and you forgot how to run.” My mouth opened, then closed. “I’m Lyric.” She offered her name like a dare. “Lyric Voss.” Of course her name was Lyric. Nothing about her would be ordinary. “Solene,” I replied, too quietly. “Pretty name,” she said, eyes flicking to my lips. “Pretty girl.” I swallowed hard. This wasn’t happening. I had a boyfriend. Okay, not officially. But Briar and I were something. Weren’t we? Then why did the room feel smaller when she stepped closer? I turned to glance at Briar again. He was still watching. His jaw was clenched. And then, God, Lyric leaned in, her lips brushing just below my ear. “You should stop looking at me like that,” she whispered. “Or I’ll start thinking you want me to do something about it.” Heat shot through my spine. And in that moment, I realized something terrifying. I did. “Who is she?” Briar’s voice was low, but his eyes were storming. I stepped back from Lyric so fast I almost spilled my drink. My heart was pounding like I’d done something wrong, because maybe I had. I wasn’t sure anymore. “I… she was just…” “A friend?” he asked, his brow raised. “Because she looked like she was about to kiss you.” “No, she didn’t,” I lied. He didn’t answer. His jaw tensed. I hated that look on him, the one that said he was hurt but trying to pretend he wasn’t. I hated even more that I had caused it. “I should go,” I said quickly. I didn’t wait for him to follow. I just pushed through the crowd and made it to the front porch where the cold air slapped me in the face like I deserved it. What was wrong with me? Briar was everything I should want. Gentle. Thoughtful. Loyal. The kind of guy who didn’t just open doors, he stood there to make sure you got through them safe. But the way Lyric Voss looked at me? It made me feel like the door was already open, and she was daring me to walk through it. And the worst part? I wanted to. “Rough night?” I jumped at the sound of her voice. She was behind me again, like a shadow I couldn’t shake. I turned. “You shouldn’t have done that.” She leaned on the porch railing, unfazed. “Done what?” “You… you leaned in. You said…” “I said what I meant.” “You don’t even know me.” “I don’t have to,” she said simply. “I just saw the way you looked at me. You were starving.” My throat tightened. “I have a boyfriend.” “You think you do.” Her voice dipped, dark and velvet-smooth. “But the way you looked at me? That wasn’t the look of someone who’s taken.” I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to scream, or run, or disappear. But I didn’t move. My body wouldn’t let me. “I don’t want to be your experiment, Solene,” Lyric said suddenly. Her tone had changed, soft now, almost sad. “So figure out what you want. But do it fast.” She turned to walk back inside. But then she paused. Looked over her shoulder. And said one thing that split me down the middle. “Because I don’t play games. And Briar Maddox? He doesn’t look like someone who knows how to lose.” “I’m not jealous.” The words sounded fake the second they left my mouth. Briar stared at me, arms folded, his eyes darker than usual. “Then why haven’t you looked me in the eye since she left?” I swallowed hard. My fingers gripped the edge of my sweater like it could somehow keep me from unraveling. “I just…” I shook my head. “She doesn’t matter.” “Funny.” His voice was low now. “Because it looked like she mattered. A lot.” We were standing alone in the corner of the porch. The party inside had faded to a dull hum. The silence between us? Louder than any music. “Solene,” he said carefully, “I need you to tell me something. And I need you to be honest.” My heart stopped. “Do you feel something for her?” I looked up, and there it was. Not anger. Not judgment. Just fear. The kind you only get when you’re afraid the person you love might not love you back. I should’ve said no. I should’ve lied. Instead, I looked away. And that was all he needed. Briar exhaled like I’d slapped him. “Right.” “Wait… Briar…” “No, it’s fine.” He stepped back. His smile was the kind that hurt to see. “You don’t owe me anything, remember? We’re not even officially together.” “That’s not what I meant.” “Then what do you mean, Solene? Because you kissed me last week and told me you felt something real. Now you’re making eyes at some girl like I don’t exist.” “I didn’t mean to…” I stopped, because I didn’t know how to finish that sentence. “I just need to know what we are,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “Or if I’m the only one who still doesn’t get it.” I opened my mouth. But then, The door creaked open. Lyric stood in the doorway, lit by the golden party lights, arms crossed, and watching us both like she’d heard everything. Briar turned. His expression changed. And then he did something I never saw coming. He stepped toward her. “You win,” he said. Lyric blinked. “What?” “I’m out.” He looked back at me just once. Then walked away. Leaving me with the girl who’d turned my world upside down… And a heart that didn’t know which direction it was supposed to break.